Bluffing in Limit Games: It's All about Timing (Part I)

A lot of No Limit and Pot Limit players whine that they don’t like Fixed Limit games. One of the top complaints these players have is that they can’t bluff to push people off hands. In Fixed Limit games, a single bet is generally too small to get anyone to fold a solid hand. But you can push them off the marginal hands.

I know this because I do it all the time, and fairly successfully. But there is a major difference between bluffing in No Limit games and bluffing in Limit games. In No Limit and Pot Limit, the size of the bet is often the major factor which determines if a bluff is called or not. In Limit, the size of the bet is fixed, so timing is the variable that determines the effectiveness of a bluff.

(I have to pause here, because timing is very important to No Limit and Pot Limit as well. As mentioned in the Phil Gordon article that Billy posted, if your betting pattern doesn’t tell a consistent story, your opponents will find it difficult to fold to your bluffs. I’m just saying that in No Limit, you can often push people out by moving all in, even if they suspect they may have you beat. In Limit, you don’t really have that ability.)

The key to bluffing effectively in Limit games is to remember that bluffing isn’t about the cards you’re holding. It’s about what your opponents think you’re holding. Put another way, it’s not always about what you have, but what you can represent. In this discussion, I will focus on my personal specialty: 7-Card Stud. The core of the argument can also be adapted to other Limit games.

For example, say I’m playing Limit Stud, and I am dealt a pair of 7s with the 7 of Clubs as my door card. I have another club in the hole. A player showing the Ace of Hearts raises, so it is likely that he has a pair of aces. I don’t see anyone else with a 7, so I decide to call. It’s now heads up.

On 4th St., he is dealt the 6 of Spades, and I get the 4 of Clubs. He bets again, and I call. Because of his continued aggression, I’m now pretty certain that he has a pair of aces. At this point, he will likely think I have one of two hands. Either I started out with a pair of 7s (which I did), or I came in with 3 Clubs, and now I have 4 to a flush. If he's a savvy player, he will now proceed cautiously, because he knows that I am a favorite to complete my flush about 47% of the time, and I’ll have the pot odds to call him the rest of the way.

On 5th St., he gets an offsuit deuce, and I get another club. He is now showing A-x-x, and I’m showing three clubs. He is worried that I have made my flush, so he checks to me. I bet, representing the flush. Remember, I only have a pair of 7s at this point. But because I’ve played the hand so passively up until this point (just calling), it appears reasonable that I’ve been on a flush draw and I’ve now completed my hand.

He will likely call, not willing to give up such a premium hand as a pair of aces so easily. So on the next street, I bet again, regardless of whether or not I complete my flush. If he hasn’t improved his pair of aces, he should probably fold at this point. But even if he doesn’t, it’s not a terrible thing. I still have another card to catch my flush. I could also catch a third 7, which would probably win the hand for me. If I'm lucky, a second pair may win as well. Or I may catch him in a bluff. Anything is possible.

Hopefully you now see that bluffing in Limit can be effective, given the right circumstances. Just remember: ‘Timing is everything.’ Maybe after reading this you’ll give up your fear of Limit games and join me at the tables sometime … I’d love to take your money. ;-)